You had been riding for quite a while already, and you found Moblit to be an easy-going riding companion. You switched between having interesting conversations and riding in comfortable silence.
"So Hange has always been that into titan-research?", you asked him as the theme of your conversation returned to Hange. You had just talked about how he became her executive officer.
"Yes, ever since she started her career here in the Survey Corps. The up-close encounters with them was the main thing influencing her to choose this regiment. She believes that in order for us to beat them, we have to learn everything we can about them. I agree with her, which is the main reason as to why I endure all the stress that comes by being Hange's research partner and executive officer"; he said with a little laugh. "A lot of sleepless nights". You laughed with him.
"I can see how research is important. We can't take them down if we are clueless about them and their nature. The only reason we have managed to take any of them up until this point is because someone figured out their weakness. Just imagine what we can uncover if we look even closer!", you agreed, becoming more excited as you spoke.
"Exactly", he said and smiled at you. He then laughed. "You even sound like her". You laughed at his comment.
"I would love to help out if she would find it useful", you said.
"I'm sure she would be ecstatic", he answered you. You yawned for the thousand time in the past hour. You started to feel really sore from all the riding.
"Moblit, how long do we have left?", you asked him tired.
"Well, its quite a long way to the meeting point. We're probably going to be traveling until sunrise, so maybe four more hours? Then once you join the squad you will be riding for a couple of hours more until you reach base", he explained, and you became even more sore thinking about it.
"This was not a part of our agreement", you said sarcastically, earning a little snicker from Moblit.
"Well, I certainly don't envy you", he said. "Hange and I will join you a little later. We managed to capture a couple of titans in Trost, so we have our hands full at the moment. I have to make sure Hange don't get herself eaten in her excitement", he said. He then turned to you. "You should get some sleep before you meet up with the squad. Make a good first impression you know by not fainting due to over exhaustion", he said with a little smile.
"Yeah, that would be just my luck", you laughed, then yawning for good measure. You remember Moblit informing you that your horse would follow his if you didn't tell it otherwise, so you made yourself as comfortable as possible, leaning down on the soft, grey mane of the horse.
~
"Hey Y/N", Moblit called out, shaking your shoulder slightly. You quickly got up, forgetting you were still riding, which almost resulted in you falling off. You noticed the sun was about to rise.
"We're almost there, I can see the town from here", Moblit informed you and pointed over to some buildings barely noticeable. "What do you think about picking up the pace a bit? Then you may have some time to stretch your legs before you guys venture out", he asked you, and you nodded, eager to reach your halfway mark and take a break. On cue both horses increased their speed, the buildings inching closer and closer.
"Captain, I think I see them!", you heard a feminine voice call out. They must have spotted you and Moblit's green capes. You had received your new scout uniform and equipment, which you were quick to change into before leaving. The new uniform fit you like glove.
"Finally", you heard Levi say as you were a couple of meters away from the group.
"I'll see you later Y/N, good luck!", Moblit said as he turned to ride into the walled city on the other side of the wall.
"Thank you!" you waved after him. Once reaching the squad you got off your horse, struggling to keep your balance.
"What are you doing?", Levi asked and raised one brow. You continued stretching and walking a little back and forth. You then proceeded to take a sip from your water pouch.
"I have been riding for seven hours straight, I need a few seconds to walk to soreness off", you answered him.
"During expeditions we can end up riding for a whole day...", Levi said.
"I've only been a scout for exactly seven hours, I'm sure my body will get used to it Captain", you answered him with a smile. Then you noticed Eren behind the others. He was grinning at you.
"Eren!", you exclaimed and ran over to him. He bowed down on his horse so he could hug you. "How are you, I haven't seen you in days!".
"I'm fine Y/N", he laughed. You noticed the others looking at you, probably expecting a little more professionalism.
'I'm sure they're less formal once I get to know them!'
"I'm sorry, how rude of me", you said with a low voice, thinking out loud. You walked in front of the group so they could see you properly.
"My name is Y/N L/N. I'm looking forward to working with you all", you said with a smile and saluted for good measure. It couldn't hurt.
They all smiled at you, except for Levi of course and another man behind him that you noticed seemed to mimic Levi's demeanour and appearance.
"Nice to meet you Y/N! I'm Petra Ral, and these guys over here are Eld Gin, Gunther Schultz and Oruo Bozad", Petra introduced. She seems very nice. You were sure she would appreciate some female company, you sure did. You smiled back at them.
"Have you stretched out enough now or do we have to order a carriage for you?", Levi asked impatient.
"I'm all set sir!", you said as you hurried over to your horse, refusing to let him crawl under your skin. He was kind of a quieter version of Sadies. His word could be as rough as being dragged bare-skinned across gravel, but he always had good intentions. "Tch-", he said, and started moving, the rest following him like a shadow. You decided to ride alongside Eren. You had a lot to catch up on after all.
~
"So the other's are still set on joining the MP's?", Eren asked after a couple of hours riding. The two of you had caught each other up in everything that had happened on either end.
"I don't really know, they haven't said anything else, so I guess that is still the plan?", you answered him unsure. Eren nodded silently.
"I guess it's a good thing Jean isn't joining, he would be good for nothing", Eren stated.
"Umm, that's actually so far from the truth Eren", you laughed. "You should have seen him in Trost. He exceeded all expectations and lead a whole group of distraught cadet's to storm HQ! He saved more people in his leadership than the amount that would have died without". Eren looked at you like you were speaking another language.
"Really? I didn't know he had balls at all", he said in disbelief and you started laughing, one of your infamous snort's escaped your lips. You smacked your hand over your mouth just like you did at the inauguration. Eren was used to it and just laughed at it, but you noticed the others staring at you, not expecting it. Petra then giggled a little bit, the other's joining in. You looked away shyly. You didn't have anything against them laughing, rather that then them just staring dumbfounded. But it was still a bit embarrassing.
Oruo had made his way over to you and Eren. He started talking about the old scout HQ as you saw an old castle come into sight, quite a distance away from you. The whole area leading to this point had been magical. You were used to cramped, city walls, only ever dreaming of seeing something as fresh and lush as this. Lush, green gras and trees everywhere. However, the forest felt light and airy as opposed to the dense and dark forests you were used to roaming during training at boot camp. The sun was shining through the leaves, making you close your eyes and lean your head back in delight as the rays hit your face. A big open field in front of the castle could be seen. The forest acting as a protective barrier around it.
"Originally, it was an old castle we remodelled, so it certainly looks impressive. But with being so far from the rivers and walls it ended up being useless for the Survey Corps.", he informed you, and you noticed more and more how much he tried to speak like Levi.
'Weird'
"It was established right after the Survey Corp's formation, when ideals were all they had. But I never imagined that this giant ornament would end up being the perfect place to hide you", he told Eren, and you opened your eyes to look at him. Eren looked behind him and seemed to get startled, quickly looking back forward again. You followed his gaze to see Levi stare at the two of you. You rolled your eyes lightly and smiled at him.
'He can't break me. I didn't survive three years of Sadies screaming right in my face to not handle this'
Examining his slight expression change, as only you could, you noticed he seemed taken aback a little by your reaction. You turned back around.
"Don't get cocky, kids", Oruo said and leaned his shoulder almost all the way over to yours. You leaned slightly closer to Eren, uncomfortable with Oruo's sudden closeness.
"Sir?"; Eren asked, uncomfortable as well.
"I don't care if you're a titan or if you impressed the captain at such a young age. I can't believe Captain Levi will spend all his time with some brats like you-", Oruo suddenly bit his tongue violently as his horse tripped on a stone. You and Eren jumped, startled as he cried out in pain, holding his hands protectively over his mouth.
'What was his deal?'
Finally arriving at the castle, you all got off your horses. Petra scolded Oruo for excessively talking while riding. It seems like he bites his tongue a lot then. You heard her comment on the way he sounded more and more like the Captain.
'I knew it!'
She urged him to stop. You smiled to yourself as you cared for your horse, making sure it was as good as new after riding for so long. Now it only needed to rest. The two of them sounded like an old married couple bickering.
"Trying to bind my hands, Petra? You haven't followed all the necessary steps to become my wife", he answered her smugly.
'What the fuck, did he just say wife?'
You tried holding in you laughter and looked over at Eren who was also about loose it, apparently he heard the exact same thing you did. One look at each other was all it took, and the two of you burst out laughing.
"Hey, brats! What's so funny?", Oruo called out, his Levi impression back on. This only made you and Eren laugh harder. As the laughter died down, you took some time to properly look at your new teammates. Eren had told you about each individual and their titan-kills scores and assists-kill scores. They all had quite the high amount, and you aspired to be as good as them.
"Look at all the weeds... This place is a mess", you heard Gunther discuss with Eld.
"It hasn't been used for years. Inside, it's probably covered in dust.", Eld answered him, eyeing the castle up and down.
"That's a serious problem. We'll begin immediately!", Levi said determined. "Oruo, Petra, you start downstairs. Eld and Gunther, you start here in the courtyard. I'll take the rooms on the second floor, Y/N and Eren, you take the floor above that", he then ordered and walked away. You and Eren looked at each other, confused.
'Wow, I didn't know the infamous Captain Levi is such a clean-freak..'
You guess you could get behind it, not being one for mess and germs yourself. You weren't scared to get dirty when you needed to, but enjoyed yourself more in cleaner environments.
"I guess we better get started then Eren!", you said and gave him a pat on the back. He looked like he dreaded starting the activity.
~
You decided to split up, you cleaning the eight rooms to the left, him taking the eight to the right. You had equipped yourselves with white cloths covering your noses and mouths, preventing you from breathing in all the dust. Although cleaning was tedious work, you found it quite therapeutic. You and your dad used to be the ones who cleaned the house at home, giving your mom a little free time to enjoy herself and take a break. You dad had taught you a couple of tricks on how to clean a window sill most efficiently. You silently thanked your dad, finally able to use his knowledge somehow in you new career as a scout. Once you and Eren met in the middle, you went downstairs to report back to Levi.
"Sir, I was wondering where I should sleep tonight", Eren asked. Levi removed his face cloth.
"You sleep in the basement", he said plainly.
"In the basement again?", Eren asked disappointed, and you felt bad for him. He had been cooped up deep underground enough for days already. He deserved a proper room.
"Of course. You can't control yourself, so if you're underground we can contain you if you turn into a titan while half-asleep. That was one of the conditions of you coming here. It's a rule we, as well as you, have to follow", he informed Eren. That made sense though. There is still a lot you don't know about Eren's abilities. A lot even Eren doesn't know. Better to play it safe.
"I'll inspect the rooms, you two take over here while I'm gone", he then said and left the room.
"You okay Eren?", you asked him. He looked quite frustrated.
"Yeah, I just feel like I'm not my own person anymore. It's weird", he admitted.
"I can see what you mean. Must be a lot to get adjusted to. But its for our and your own safety", you told him, starting to clean the dust off the table to your right.
"I guess you're right", Eren agreed. "Y/N, I'm happy you are here. It makes the whole thing a lot more bearable", he told you with a smile. "Thanks", he added. You turned to smile at him.
"Of course Eren, I'm glad I can be here for you and make the whole thing a little easier".
Petra entered the room with a broom.
"Hey Y/N, hey Eren!", she said, startling Eren. "I hope it's okay if I call you that. I noticed Captain Levi does, and he pretty much set's the tone for the rest of us.
"Sure", you said with a smile.
"Yeah, I don't mind", Eren agreed hesitantly.
"I couldn't help but hear you were frustrated just now. Don't worry, you reaction isn't all that uncommon. He isn't the 'perfect hero' that people say he is, right?", she said to Eren.
"The real Captain Levi is smaller, more high-strung and more violent than most people think. All in all an intimidating man", she continued.
"Actually, what surprised me the most was how closely he seemed to follow orders from above", Eren admitted.
"Because he is influential and powerful, you assumed he wouldn't let formalities hold him back?", she asked.
"Yes...", Eren answered carefully. "I thought he wouldn't take orders from anyone".
"I don't know the details, but the rumours are that he was an infamous thug from the underground before joining the scouts and becoming a soldier", Petra told you, and you listened intrigued as you moved on to cleaning the dust off the lamp hanging on the wall.
'Levi will not catch me slacking off'
"Why would someone like that..", Eren started saying.
"I don't know. I'm not sure what happened, but I heard Commander Erwin brought him into the Survey Corps while he was still a captain", Petra informed.
"Oi, Eren, Y/N", Levi suddenly appeared in the doorway. Eren and Petra jumped as Petra frantically started to sweep the floor.
"Yes sir?", you asked.
"Which one of you did which rooms?", he wanted to know.
"I took the eight on the left, Eren the others to the right", you informed him.
"Eren, that wasn't nearly good enough! Redo the whole thing", he stated.
"Y-yes sir!", Eren said and ran out of the room.
"And Y/N, yours were better, still room for improvement by the bookcases. However, I noticed your excellent work cleaning the window sills, what's you technique?", he asked you. You looked at him bewildered, not knowing if he actually wanted you to show him. He continued looking at you, expecting an answer. He finally gave you a slight eye roll, and motioned with his gaze over at the window sill, his head bowing forwards the slightest bit.
"R-right", you said and walked over to it. He followed you and listened intently as you demonstrated your father's technique, explaining it to him as your showed him.
"I see. Who taught you that?", he asked.
"My dad", you answered with a smile.
"A man with eye for detail I see.. Must have been a good man", he said plainly. Your heart warmed up at the comment.
'He really was'
"Now get back and redo the area around the bookshelves, including the shelves", he ordered, and got back to his cleaning.
Although his affirmation was short-lived, you took it to heart. You knew he had good intentions behind everything he did or said, that short moment of recognition was an example of it. You went back to the rooms and started redoing the shelves with a newfound energy.
~
Once the sun set and it became too dark to clean, you all gathered in the dimly lit mess hall of the castle. As it was a big castle, it took a while to warm it up. Even though the weather was hot during daytime, the nights here could be quite chilly. Petra came in with a tray of teacups as she had just made tea for everybody. As you were handed yours your face lit up.
You have barely ever had tea before. It was quite expensive back in Shiganshina, and it was usually something your family only bought for special occasions. And during your time in the cadet corps, you were only ever served water as a beverage, plus the occasional juice once a year.
Levi looked over at you, examining your face.
"What, never seen tea before?", he asked and huffed slightly. You acknowledged it was probably dumb to get so exited about such a small thing, but it really was special to you.
"Yes I have, sir, it was just a luxury my family could barely ever afford. I therefore have quite fond memories of the few times we did have it", you answered him sincerely. He looked at you a little moment longer, before returning to his tea. You noticed he drank it by holding on the rim of the cup instead of the handle, but since no one else was fazed by it, you decided to let it go. -For now at least...
"We'll be on standby for a few more days. I heard we're already planning a large-scale expedition beyond the walls in a month", Eld informed you. "Not to mention, we'll be bringing this year's graduates along too", he added, and you choked on your tea, Eren patting your back slightly to help you breathe properly.
"Sorry", you managed to wheeze out, your voice still weak from coughing.
'The new recruits? Join an expedition so soon? I don't know how many of my friends are going to join, but I know for a fact Connie is... I don't want him out there so soon'
"Is that true, Eld? That's pretty sudden. That attack on Trost must have taken a toll on the new troops", Gunther said.
"It probably terrified the brats", Oruo said smugly, as if terror wouldn't be a natural reaction to a tragedy like that. You looked at him unimpressed.
"Is that true, Captain?", Petra asked Levi.
"Making plans isn't my job. But knowing Erwin, he has more on his mind than we could ever imagine", Levi answered the group.
"It's true that the situation has changed. I thought that all of our sacrifices thus far to lay a route to retake Maria had been negated by a single blow. But now we have an entirely different hope", Eld said and looked over at Eren. All the attention fell on him, which made him nervous.
"I still can't believe it. But what do they mean when they say you turn into a titan Eren?", Eld continued, asking Eren.
"I don't really remember what happened. I was so desperate, I couldn't think... But the trigger is self-inflicted injury. I take my hand like this-", Eren lifted up his hand and brought it up in front of his mouth. He froze in that movement, suddenly seeming stressed. You gently placed a hand on his wrist, bringing him out of the trance.
"You know we won't get anything out of Eren that isn't already covered in the reports", Levi told Eld, taking another sip of his tea. "But I'm sure a certain someone has other ideas..", he said into his cup. "Maybe fiddle around with you, maybe even kill you Eren", he continued, now looking at Eren over the rim of his cup.
"Someone?", Eren exclaimed confused with a hint of nervousness. The door behind Levi suddenly started shaking and banging violently. Everyone at the table jumped in their seats, while Levi didn't even flinch. Petra quickly made her way to open the locked door, revealing an exhausted Hange.
"Hello Levi squad", she said with a wave. Levi already looked even more tired than before.
"Hange!", you exclaimed happy. The others looked at you confused. They seemed to dread her company and didn't understand your enthusiasm.
"Hey Y/N! How are you enjoying the castle?", she asked, making her way over to you. You were just about to answer, but Levi grabbed the word before you could.
"You're early", he stated.
"Well, I couldn't wait any longer!", she said, taking a seat between you and Eren.
"Section-commander Hange?", Eren said, surprised to see her.
"Hey there Eren. I'm in charge of investigating the two titans we've captured in town, and I'd like you to help with tomorrow's experiments", she informed him. "I came to get permission", she continued. "You as well Y/N. I talked to Moblit who told me about your interest in titan-research. I would love to heard your theories!", she said, getting excited. You smiled at her and nodded.
"Experiments? What would we be doing?", Eren asked her carefully.
"Something totally awesome! ", she said, her face becoming wild as she pictured stuff in her head. Eren was taken aback by her expression. You? -Not quite as much, but it was the wildest you had ever seen her up until this point.
"W-well...", Eren started, uncomfortable. "I can't give permission for myself. I don't have that authority", Eren excused himself.
"Levi, what's Eren and Y/N doing tomorrow?", Hange quickly asked.
"Cleaning the remaining part of the courtya-"
"Okay then!", Hange didn't let him finish. "It's settled!", she said, placing a hand on each of your and Eren's shoulder, then looking intently into his eyes. "Y/N, Eren! I'll see you tomorrow!"
"R-right...", Eren said nervous again. "But what do you mean by experiments with titans?", Eren asked curious, probably scared she was going to cut him up or something.
"Hmm?", Hange immediately asked.
"Um, what kind of experiments...", Eren asked, his nervousness increasing.
"Hey stop! Don't ask!", Oruo hissed at him.
"I knew it! I thought you looked like you wanted to hear...", Hange said with a voice full of admiration, staring Eren down. "Just like Y/N over here". She gave you a little shake on your shoulder with her hand.
Levi simply got up from his seat, sick of hearing Hange's constant blabbering about titans. The others joined him in a whim, and they had all left the room.
"If you guys really want to hear about it, that's just fine. I'll have to tell you about the boys we captured", Hange said, her lowered voice oozing with pride. Then she went on spending the whole night explaining everything she had ever learned and ran across during her years in the regiment.
'I should have brought a pillow of something...'
___________________________________________
A/N:
So i totally misjudged where the old HQ was located in relation to Trost, so let's just pretent it is as far away as i wrote it down to be lol..
Anyways, this was a long chapter, but a good one i feel. I really enjoyed writing it. Hope you enjoyed it too!
Have a wonderful day!<3
~Jen